Rating: 
Summary: Boring and Confusing
Review: Greg Bear is a man with a great vision in the genre of sci-fi and has written some good books like Eon and Darwin's Radio. But Vitals just falls flat. The story is confusing and there is no "bounce" to his first-person narrative. It had a promising beginning but falls apart in the middle. I stop reading after 200 pages or so.
Rating: 
Summary: Paranoid yes, great no.
Review: In today's post 9/11 atmosphere the paranoia which permeates the book really resonates as does the idea of biological agents/warfare. The central idea that communication between the cells within our bodies affects or even dictates our behavior is an interesting premise. However, I must say that this work does not rank up there with other Bear works such as Darwin's Radio or Forge of God. Vitals is somewhat disjointed, seems to run out of steam at the end and does, as other reviewers have mentioned, seem to owe a lot to James Bond or maybe Mickey Spillaine.
Rating: 
Summary: This one flat-lined
Review: After reading Bear's foundation sequel and Darwin's Radio, I attacked this puppy with gusto. The tempo is off from the start - taking a vascillating first-person view, swapping around main characters. About half way through, the novel turns Clancy-meets...well...I guess VC Andrews?!? In the end, I felt cheated and wanting. Given the book had promise, it's saved from a single star...but it still feels as if I'm being generous. I suggest avoiding this one and let's hope the next Bear book is better.
Rating:
Summary: Huh?
Review: When I heard that Greg Bear had written another contemporary bioscience fiction novel I became excited. Unfortunately, my excitement came to nothing. Vitals does not follow in the tradition of Bear's Darwin's Radio and Blood Music. Instead it is more of an action/political thriller novel with shallow characters, ambiguous conspiracies, and far-fetched science. Don't be fooled by the first few chapters of the book! Although they are fiction about science and scientists, most of the book has nothing to do with either. If Greg Bear's intention was to write a book that could bridge the gap between science fiction and political thriller he failed miserably; Vitals does not work well as either, and works worse as both.
Rating:
Summary: A Waste Of Time
Review: The author writes heavenly for the first 1/4th of the book; great premise and exciting action. Then - unaccountably - the rest of the book is a confusing mess with the author making every possible error a "thriller" writer can make. It is difficult to believe that the brilliant scholarship that is so evidently displayed in the beginning can denigrate into such an ineffective, rambling narrative. Either the author fell in love with himself and thought he could get away with anything - or - he is "on" something. Don't waste your time with this one. You will be inevitably disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: Vitals
Review: An absolutely fascinating, original biological SF premise doesn't save this book. Even Bear's mention of the South SF Bay salt lagoons, where I'd been hiking that very day, didn't produce more than a passing thrill.The problem here is the plot. It's a basic thriller plot, so there really wasn't much excuse for it falling as flat as it does. Jumps in time and POV add confusion and destroy what tension there is. The plot element of the evil, seductive blonde is lame and overdone, and it's never clear to me why the main character ceases being a threat to the secret organization that starts out by trying to discredit, then subvert, him. The characters go along with the plot: they are forgettable and flat.
Rating:
Summary: Ambitious effort, but...
Review: Greg Bear is a writer of considerable talent and vision--one who is always on my Hugo/Nebula "watch list." This book doesn't make that grade, but it's not as bad as most people seem to think. It does, however, have some major problems. On the positive side, what Bear has done is to produce a theory (infectious, mind-altering bacteria) that can truly support an X-File - magnitude conspiracy. Cudos to him for figuring out a way to do this. Unfortunately, I didn't buy that premise, even though Bear adds an afterward in which he cites scientific underpinnings for it. More importantly from a storytelling perspective, the resulting conspiracy appears to be unbeatable. That causes plotting difficulties and is (probably) the reason for the muddled ending. Bear appears to have written himself into a corner. As for the story's darkness, mixed viewpoint storytelling, and less-than-perfect protagonist, don't read it if that's not your cup of tea. (I suspect that this book would have fared better if it hadn't had the misfortune to come out shortly after 9-11, when such a dark story is more disturbing than it would have been beforehand.) Overall, I would give this book three stars but for one other problem. It starts out being about life extension, segues into mind control...and never returns. There are complex reasons in the logic of the story why this occurred, but it's still unsatisfying.
Rating:
Summary: Left me comatose...
Review: I have previously enjoyed Bear's work and had high hopes for this one. It started off with a bang and had me hooked well into the first 100 pages. After that it devolved into some sort of mindless, psychedelic mishmash that left me wanting to burn the book. Don't you just hate it when you loathe what you're reading but can't quit? Maybe the bacteria supermind had me under it's thrall. The "little mothers" must have me tagged. don't waste your time or your money. ...
Rating:
Summary: Greg Bear Flatlines in "Vitals"
Review: "Vitals" is a disappointment. I have read and enjoyed almost everything that Greg Bear has written, and this book is way below his normally high standards. The scientific premise behind the book, that bacteria/genes can cooperate to form a super-mind, was dealt with more thoroughly in "Slant" and "Darwin's Radio." Bear wraps this premise with a story that is meant to evoke the hardboiled detective novels of yesteryear where the protagonist is surrounded by a web of deceit and nothing is what it appears to be. However, the result is dark, clammy and paranoid. More significantly, none of the characters are likable, and some are just repellent. Also, it's obvious that "Vitals" was written in haste. I found the multiple narrators confusing, and the ending was clearly tacked on at the last minute. I know from past experience that Mr. Bear is capable of great things. I would suggest that he spend more time writing and less time listening to his editors.
Rating:
Summary: A confusing mess
Review: There are so many twists and turns in this novel that it is hard to keep track of the story. Worst yet, nothing is ever really resolved! There are hints that some (in fact, MOST) of the characters are not who they appear to be, but the ending does not follow through with the answers. The sad part is that the novel starts out with great promise with a biochemist discovering (very) ancient Ediacara fauna in the depths of the ocean. The author definitely should have ran with this thread instead of the one that he chose.
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